Vehicle body door structure



Jan. 21, 1964 c. B. KALE E'rAl.

VEHICLE BODY DOOR STRUCTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 21, 1961ATTORNEYS Jan- 21, 1964 c. B. KALE VlrAl. 3,118,702

VEHICLE BODY DooR STRUCTURE INVENT' Rs 38 32 CASS B. KALE g gsm' L.QuARNsgfgoM ,M m/u/ M M .i M ATTORNEYS Jan. 21, 1964 Filed Aug. 21. 1961c. E. KALE r-:TAL 3,118,702

VEHICLE BODY DOOR STRUCTURE 3 sheet's-sneet 3 INVENT RS CASS B. KALEQYERT L. QUARNSTRCM fnd/mw, e5' M ATTORNEYS United States atent Oilice Yaliarse Patented dan. 2l, i954 This invention relates generally tovehicle bodies adapted for commercial transportation of goods and moreparticularly involves a door structure for the door opening throughwhich goods are loaded and unloaded.

Such vehicle bodies are often equipped with swi ging type doors made ofsheet metal and wood and sometimes are provided with so-called overheaddoors which move upwardly in tracks to an open position beneath the rootof the truck body.

The sv inging type doors are usually heavy, expensive, and vulnerable todamage through bumping by freight, effects of the weather, and the like.The overhead doors are often subject to the same objections and inaddition are frequently hard to operate or use too much head spacewithin the body.

The object oi this invention is to provide a vehicle body door structurewhich is light weight, inexpensive, easy to install and operate, andwhich is virtually impervious to damage under normal operatingconditions.

Generally the invention contemplates an overhead door uti *ing plasticpanels extruded with tubular beads along their edges for slidableintererigagement to provide pivotal joints between the panels. he panelsare longitudinally secured together by rollers mounted on pins anchoredwithin the beading, the rollers also providing guides engaging inhorizontal and vertical tracks adjacent the door opening. The tracks arealso plastic extrusions except for molded plastic corner pieces whichinterconnect the 'ertical and horizontal tracks through a particulartype oi sliding joint. Gne form of the invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings.

FlG. l is a fragmentary side elevational View illustrating a vehi lebody with a door structure according to this invention mounted in it.

FEC. 2 is generally a rear elevational view or" the truck body showingLe exposed tace of the door.

llG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary en view of the joint between twoadjacent panels.

FlG. 4 is an enlarged generally sectional View on line 4 4 of FlG. 2.

FlG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary partly sectional view illustrating theinterconnected portions or" adjacent panels passing through a curvedportion of a track.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary generally sectional view of the bottom portionoi the door.

FlG. 7 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of a lower corner of thedoor with parts sectioned and shown in phantom to illustrate structure.

FlG. 8 is an enlarged sectional View on line S-S of 9 is an enlargedsectional view on line 9-*9 of l() is an enlarged sectional view on linelil-lb ll is an enlarged sectional View on line ill-1l ot FIG. 2.

FlG. l2 is a fragmentary perspective View illustrating the joint betweena straight track member and a corner member of the track.

Shown in the drawings is a portion ot a truck body 2li having side walls22 and 2li, a top or root" 126, and a rear wall 28 having a door openingEil through which freight can be loaded and unloaded. floor 32.

Mounted adjacent each side 224 of the door opening is a. vertical trackmember 35 having its lower end portion 38 adjacent the truck iloor andhaving its upper end portion 4@ adjacent the top d?. of the dooropening. Each track member 36 has a U-shaped channel conformation whichopens inwardly, that is, toward the door opening.

The truck body has a y The channel is dei-ined by two leg portions 4dand 46 interconnected by a web portion fr". Each leg portion carries aninwardly projecting longitudinal rib 45 whose function is describedbelow. Each track member has a mounting liange Sti which projectsoutwardly or away trom the door opening. Tracks 36 are anchored in placeby such means as screws E?. passing through the mounting ilange andbeing anchored into a portion of the rear wall ZS ofthe truck body.

Track members den identical in construction to track members 36 areanchored to the under side of body roof 2d by such means as screws 52passing through mounting flanges Stia (FlG. l0). The parts or" theoverhead tracks are denoted by reference characters similar to thevertical tracks with an a added. Each overhead track extends from adoorward end 48a to a distal end 38a containing a bumper 54 of suitableresilient material such as rubber backed up by a screw-anchored support55 as shown in FIG. 4.

rthe vertical and horizontal tracks are interconnected by a cornermember Eil adjacent each upper corner of the door opening. This cornermember has an inwardly disposed curved channel portion which extendsupwardly from top d2 of the door opening and away from the door openingfor junction with track end 49a. The curved channel relatively closelyunderlies the corner o2 oi the truck body between rear wall 2S and roof26.

Corner member 5S is provided at each end with an enlarged portion edhaving an internal straight channel shape for slidably receiving an endportion ib or @da of the contiguous straight track member. The enlargedportion deiines a shoulder 66 adjacent the curved channel, and thestraight track inserted into the enlarged portion abuts against thisshoulder for relative positioning of the interconnected members so thattheir respective channels cooperate to define a continuous guideway forguide elel ments on the door panel proper.

The enlarged channel conformation 64 is defined by two legs d8 and 7i)and an interconnecting web 72 (FlGS. 9 and 12). Leg 68 continuesoutwardly of web 72 to form a mounting ilange 74. Neb 72 also has anedge portion 76 which is spaced from leg 63 and mounting ange 74 todefine a slot 7g extending rom the end of enlargement 64 to the regionof shoulder 66. In assembled relation of the straight tracks and cornermembers, mounting flanges 5d and 5ba of the straight tracks pass throughslots '7g and overlie mounting ilanges '74. The interfacing mountingflanges are secured to adjacent walls of the truck body by screws 52 orthe like as illustrated in FlG. 9.

Legs d8 and mounting ilanges 74- can be considered together as a basefor each enlargement 54 or the corner member. Each one of these bases istapered from a thicker dimension at its end portion Sii adjacentshoulder 66 to a thin tree edge 32 to facilitate ilat engagement ci thestraight track lengths against their respective supporting surfaces.

The door or closure itself 8i:- cornprises a number of extruded plasticpanel elements which, in general, are identically constructed. Each ofthese panels comprises a relatively long, narrow strip which extendslongitudinally from one side of the door to the other. Each panel hasadjacent its upper edge a rearwardly extending portion 8S whichterminates in a tubular bead *')li having an altavoz 3 exterior surfaceportion which cooperates with the rear face ofthe panel, the under ofthe rearward extension 8, and a rearward rib to deilne a generallyS4-shaped space 92 which runs longitudinally 1from one end of the "enelto the other. Each panel is provided with longituinal reinforcing ribs93.

Each panel also has adiacent its lower edge 94 another tubu r bead 6-projecting' toward the `rearwof the panel and extending longitudinallyalong it. The material forming this bead a free edge which is spacedfrom lower edge 94 of the panel to denne a slot extending along thelength or" the panel. rl`ubular bead 96 has a large enough diameter toslidably receive tubular bead ONU ` 9d and rearwardly extending w eportion S8 of an adjacent panel. vihen two panels are thusinterconnected, an upper portion of each panel extends through slot lullfree end 98 is disposed within arcuate space 92. With this arrangementadjacent panel members can be pivoted relative to each other with theparts of the bead conformations providing the pivot members. Rib S9provides rigid support for the upper portion ot the panel and engagesagainst bead 96 to provide rigidity in the joint between the panels.

A pin lo?, is anchored within the end portion of each tubular bead ilfor this purpose the pin may have an enlarged portion lila pressedfitte-d within bead lli?. Each pin has an end portion which projects outof tube and onto each end is secured a head rr-S. Heads so serve tosecure the interengaged pivot rnernbers against be"ra slidablydisengaged thereby secure the e ers 57 in assembled relation.

6 are positioned for engagement within the guide channels defined bytracks Se, and corner members 53. Thus, heads ltul also provide guidesfor enga-gement within the guiding channels. Ribs de and in the straighttracks serve to retain heads lilo within the tracks under certainconditions discussed below. Advantageously, heads lil@ are rotatablymounted on pins lili? to forni rollers. `Pins i612 and rollers tii'l maycach e formed of a tough plastic material such as that knowncommercially as Delrinj product of Du Pont, the pin having a recessedportion-lill (FG. 8) adjacent its outer end onto which the roller isfastened in a snap-over type of interconnection which is detachable andre-attachable to facilitate assembly and disassembly of the door.

A weather seal il?, may be provided at the top of the door as shown 4,and a floor seal lle is secured to the lowest panel on the door as shownin FIGS. 4 and 6. The lowest panel is also provided with a handle llewhich comprises a rectangular hollow plastic member inserted through anopening in the lowest panel member and secured in place by suitableadhesive means or the like as illustrated in FIG. ll. As shown in FIG.8, each vertical track leg 4d may be proviced with a reentrant slot E13for receiving a weather strip lill which engages against the front facesof the door panels.

in use it may be assumed that the door is initially in theclosed'position illustrated in FlGS. 2 and 4. The panels are securelyinterconnected and are supported in door-closing position by engagementor" rollers lll@ in the vertical tracks. At the junctures between theadjacent panels, each lower panel edge 'elfi (FlG. 3) extends downwarolybeyondthe upper extremity of the subjacent panel and engages a forwardface portion of the subjacent panel to provide a weather seal betweenthe adjacent panels. lf water should penetrate behind lip 94, it will becarried by tubes 9e to tracks 3.6 where it will drain downwardly and outof the vehicle through suitable drain openings -(not shown) in thevehicle licor connected to the lower ends of the tracks.

When the door is raised as by manual use of handle le, successive pairsof rollers ld pass into and through `the curved channels 6i? and theninto the channels dehned by horizontal track members Free end 98 of eachbead-9a is free to rnove in space 92, and adjacent panel portions are fre to move within llil, thereby facilitating relative pivoting movementof the panels as they tilt in passi by corner members The same relativepivoting movement takes place upon lowering the door.

lf the door should be subjected to unusual force, such es upon shiftingof freight against it while the truck is moving, the panels may' flexwhich would tend to pull rollers log inwardly out of their tracks. Ribsi5 and @Se in the tracks eiiectively retain the rollers and preventtheir disengag'ing from the tracks under such conditions.

Panel elements Se comprise plastic extrusions and thus are very simpleand inexpensive to manufacture and are both tough and light weight. As aresult of being extruded, the material forming each panel in progressingfrom one end of the panel to the other has a uniform thiclniesssubstantially devoid of lateral dimensional changes, variations, etc.Thus the door presents a neat, attractive appearance and is relativelyfree of features which might weaken its structure. A suitable plasticfor use in making the panels is a material commercially available asCycolac G.S., product of lvfarbon Chemical Co., Washington, WestVirginia, Division of Borg-Warner Corporation.

A door made of this material weighs about 1 pound per square foot.Panels 4 inches wide and 58 inches long have been supported at theirends and subjected to a test by dropping 50 pound weights on theircenterstrorn a height of about 4 feet. A panel subjected to this testdeflects about 1S inches but inlined-lately recovers when the load isremoved. The maintenance required of such a door has been found to benegligible.

The straight guide tracks 36 and 36a are also plastic extrusions whichalso may be made of Cycolac GS." and are thus also inexpensive, lightweight, tough, and virtually maintenance free. The corner members 53 andlinger grips H6 are made of injection-molded plastic and are similarlylight Weight, tough, and durable. A suitable material for the cornersand linger grips is Cycolac H, also produced by l-/iarbon Chemical Co.

The invention thus provides a door which, together with its supportingstructure, keeps weight to a minimum, thereby minimizing highway taxesand facilitating maximum use of the truck body Jfor pay load. The dooris inexpensive to make and very inexpensive to maintain. light weightalso makes it easy to operate. Since the panel and track structure canbe made of relatively thin plastic members, the amount of space taken upby the door and its mounting structure is small.

We claim:

l. In a highway vehicle having a body for containing freight and a dooropening through which freight can be loaded and unloaded, door structurefor said opening comprising, a plurality of panel elements extendinglongitudinally across said opening and having pivotally interconnectedside Vportions and guide elements at their ends, a generally verticallyextending track member adjacent each side of said opening and a trackmember extending generally horizontally away from the upper corners ofsaid opening, said track members having inwardly disposed channelsguidingly receiving said guiding elements, each of said track membershaving an outwardly extending mounting flange, a corner member adjacenteach upper corner of said opening having an inwardly disposed curvedchannel portion interconnecting the vertical and horizontal channels,each corner member having a generally straight enlarged portion dening ashoulder adjacent each end of said curved channel portion, a mountingange extending outwardly from eachrenlarged portion, each of saidenlarged portions having a longitudinal slot between the base ofits'channel portion and its said mounting flange, the upper ends of saidvertical track members and the doorward ends of said horizontal trackmembers iitting respectively into said enlarged portions and abuttingsaid shoulders with said mounting flanges on said track members beingdisposed in said slots andVV overlying said mounting lianges on saidcorner member, said channels in said track members and corner membercooperating to define a continuous guideway for said guide membersfacilitating selective movement of said panel members to a closedposition within the door opening and an open position above the same.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said mounting flanges oneach of said corner members taper from a greater thickness adjacent saidshoulder to a smaller thicnness adjacent the free ends of said enlargedportions.

3. ln a highway vehicle having a body for containing freight and a dooropening through which freight can be loaded and unloaded, door structurefor said opening comprising, means forming tracks which extend generallyvertically adjacent the sides of said opening, change direction adjacentthe top of said opening and extend generally horizontally away from saidopening, a plurality of substantially identically constructed panelelements extending longitudinally across said openings with their endsadjacent said tracks, each of said panel elements having one edgeportion which extends rearwardly and terminates in a longitudinal beadspaced from the rear face of the panel element, a rearward longitudinalrib spaced laterally of said bead, said rib, rear face, and edge portioncooperating to define a curved space extending longitudinally of saidpanel, the other edge portion of each panel element dening anotherlongitudinal tubular bead projecting from said rear face, said otherbead having a longitudinal slot adjacent the front face of said panelelement, said one edge portion of each panel element and the beadthereon being slidably and pivotally engaged within said other bead ofthe adjacent panel element with a portion of each panel element adjacentsaid one edge passing through said longitudinal slot of the adjacentpanel element, a portion of said other bead adjacent said slot beingdisposed in said curved space, said rib being engaged against theexterior of said other bead to provide rigid support for theinterconnection formed by said beads, and

6 means mounting the assembled panel elements for movement within saidtrack means.

4. In a highway vehicle having a body for containing freight and a dooropening through which freight can be loaded and unloaded, door structurefor said opening comprising, means forming tracks which extend generallyvertically adjacent the sides of said opening, change direction adjacentthe top of said opening and extend generally horizontally away from saidopening, a plurality of substantially identically constructed panelelements extending longitudinally across said openings with their endsadjacent said tracks, each ot said panel elements having adjacent oneedge a longitudinal rib and a rearwardly and downwardly extendingportion which cooperate to define a rearward C-shaped space, the otheredge portion of each panel element defining a longitudinal tubular beadprojecting from said rear face and being longitudinally slotted adjacentthe front of said panel, said one edge portion of each panel beingslidahly and rotatably disposed within said bead with one edge of theslot within said C-shaped space and the other edge thereof outside ofsaid space, said rib engaging the exterior of said bead to provide rigidsupport for the pivotal joint formed by said interconnected portions,and means mounting the assembled panel elements for movement within saidtracks.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATETS 878,876Fox Feb. 11, 1908 1,329,460 Frantz Feb. 3, 1920 1,729,825 Gaiser Get, 1,1929 1,815,749 Warner luly 21, 1931 1,888,162 Eklund Nov. 15, 19322,257,513 Pilcher Sept. 30, 1941 2,727,272 Hankin Dec. 20, 19552,929,115 Beckstrom Mar. 22, 1960

1. IN A HIGHWAY VEHICLE HAVING A BODY FOR CONTAINING FREIGHT AND A DOOROPENING THROUGH WHICH FREIGHT CAN BE LOADED AND UNLOADED, DOOR STRUCTUREFOR SAID OPENING COMPRISING, A PLURALITY OF PANEL ELEMENTS EXTENDINGLONGITUDINALLY ACROSS SAID OPENING AND HAVING PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTEDSIDE PORTIONS AND GUIDE ELEMENTS AT THEIR ENDS, A GENERALLY VERTICALLYEXTENDING TRACK MEMBER ADJACENT EACH SIDE OF SAID OPENING AND A TRACKMEMBER EXTENDING GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY AWAY FROM THE UPPER CORNERS OFSAID OPENING, SAID TRACK MEMBERS HAVING INWARDLY DISPOSED CHANNELSGUIDINGLY RECEIVING SAID GUIDING ELEMENTS, EACH OF SAID TRACK MEMBERSHAVING AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING MOUNTING FLANGE, A CORNER MEMBER ADJACENTEACH UPPER CORNER OF SAID OPENING HAVING AN INWARDLY DISPOSED CURVEDCHANNEL PORTION INTERCONNECTING THE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL CHANNELS,EACH CORNER MEMBER HAVING A GENERALLY STRAIGHT ENLARGED PORTION DEFININGA SHOULDER ADJACENT EACH END OF SAID CURVED CHANNEL PORTION, A MOUNTINGFLANGE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM EACH ENLARGE PORTION, EACH OF SAIDENLARGED PORTIONS HAVING A LONGITUDINAL SLOT BETWEEN THE BASE OF ITSCHANNEL PORTION AND ITS SAID MOUNTING FLANGE, THE UPPER ENDS OF SAIDVERTICAL TRACK MEMBERS AND THE DOORWARD ENDS OF SAID HORIZONTAL TRACKMEMBERS FITTING RESPECTIVELY INTO SAID ENLARGED PORTIONS AND ABUTTINGSAID SHOULDERS WITH SAID MOUNTING FLANGES ON SAID TRACK MEMBERS BEINGDISPOSED IN SAID SLOTS AND OVERLYING SAID MOUNTING FLANGES ON SAIDCORNER MEMBER, SAID CHANNELS IN SAID TRACK MEMBERS AND CORNER MEMBERCOOPERATING TO DEFINE A CONTINUOUS GUIDEWAY FOR SAID GUIDE MEMBERSFACILITATING SELECTIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID PANEL MEMBERS TO A CLOSEDPOSITION WITHIN THE DOOR OPENING AND AN OPEN POSITION ABOVE THE SAME.